Saturday

Even Palpatine was mighty pleased with himself as he admired the Imperial clone army; after all, he got a good bargain for the most menacing machine of war. While the Kaminos did imply that it takes deep pockets to avail of their services, the long term plan always makes it more than worth it. The same can be said about collecting Star Wars minifigures.

Minifigures are the Lego people that inhabit the Star Wars Lego toy world. They have detachable legs, hands and heads and they vary according to the paint job they possess. While some are pretty common and produced in large numbers, some are rare pieces that can cost a fortune. Cheap Lego minifigures are cheap not because they cost less per piece, but because they cost less as a set. It’s is pretty much like assembling parts for a pod racer, if it’s not for Sebulba, might as well buy it in bulk.

Often times, Lego sells a series of minifigures in a single package at a cost lower than purchasing each piece at retail value. Another alternative is to acquire any large sets you may need for your collection before purchasing minifigures directly. Large Star Wars Lego sets often have several minifigures and these will add to your collection. This is particularly helpful if you are planning to recreate scenes such as the Battle of Geonosis which requires a lot of Clone Trooper and battledroid minifigures. This would entail lots of clone trooper types from medics to commandos, and while buying each trooper minifigure is expensive, one can always opt to select the options I’ve listed above.

Still, the cheapest way to collect Star Wars Lego minifigures is to purchase them in bulk from other collectors. There are Lego Star Wars collectors who specialise mainly in vehicles and have no need to keep the minifigures so you could always arrange to purchase or trade for their minifigures. Another advantage of sourcing your minifigures from a collector is that you can be assured that the quality of the Star Wars minifigures would most likely be in good condition, as shiny as a Naboo Starfighter but as cheap as a Tatooine barge, a deal that would even make a Hutt proud.

Buying from other Lego collectors also allows you the option of actually buying individual parts instead of a whole minifigure. Some minifigures use generic parts, only distinguished by a unique head or torso. If you can manage to acquire the unique parts, you can purchase the other pieces cheaply in bulk. Pieces, when sold, are always cheaper than the minifigures as a whole. It is just like buying service parts piece by piece to assemble a whole new droid. If an adolescent Darth Vader can do it, so can you.

While the Kaminos may have perfected the science of creating, growing and training clones, you do not have to feel outclassed by amassing your own army of Lego Star Wars minifigures. Just remember these few simple non-Jedi tricks and you will have your own personal army of minifigures before the next Sith comes.